Navruz tour

DECRIPTION OF ITINERARY :

DURATION :8days/7nights

Navruz (also called Noruz, Nowruz, Nowrooz, and Nawruz) is celebrated on March 21, the spring equinox, and symbolises the beginning of a new year, the rebirth of nature, and the start of a new planting season. This Navruz Small Group Tour of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan will immerse you in the festive atmosphere in ancient cities where you can enjoy small, improvised street shows and traditional songs and dances. Make sure to try sumalyak, a special dish made from germinated wheat grains that is only made for Navruz, or sit down for a shared Navruz meal at a dastarkhan, a table richly laid with foods (tradition says that the coming year will be as rich as your Navruz dastarkhan(table)). Share this exciting time of year with us and the hospitable people of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan as you participate in the Navruz festivities while discovering the history and architecture of fascinating Silk Road cities.

Tour itinerary:

Day 1 Dushanbe -arrival (Tajikistan)

Upon arrival in Dushanbe, meet your driver and transfer to the hotel for check-in .

Meet with the group in the lobby of the hotel.

After lunch visit the Tajikistan National Museum of Antiquities, which hosts the famous statue of Buddha in Nirvana, and the National Museum of Tajikistan. End the afternoon by exploring a local bazaar, where you’ll be able to feel the real Tajik spirit, witness the eastern art of trading, and see locals shopping for the Navruz holiday. Overnight at the hotel or homestay .

Day 2 Dushanbe

At 09:00 meet with your guide and group in the lobby of the hotel or homestay

Spend the ancient Persian holiday of Navruz in traditional Tajik style with the local people in and around Dushanbe.

Visit Botanical Garden, one of Dushanbe residents’ favourite leisure venues, to enjoy the spring flowers.

A highlight will be seeing how the famous Navruz dish, sumalyak, is made from germinated wheat grains put in a large pot and stirred for a whole day by the women. Enjoy a traditional Navruz lunch in a local “house-restaurant”, with the chance to try dishes such as sambusa (puff-pastry stuffed with meat or greens) and sabzi (vegetables). Continue to the Hissar Fortress (30 km from Dushanbe), where you can see the Kukhna Madrassah.

Day 3 Dushanbe

Return to Dushanbe and visit Rudaki Park and the Kokhi Navruz Centre (also called the “Navruz Palace”, this is an opulent building decorated with intricate wood carvings, painted ceilings, mosaics, and mirrors, and a large garden with fountains and summer pavilions). Finish the tour by visiting the mosque of Hoji Yakub, the Statue of Ismail Samani with your guide. In the public areas of the city, you may get to see other Navruz festivities like traditional dance performances, music, and art and craft displays, as well as locals dressed in their traditional clothes. End the day with dinner at the home of a Tajik family. Overnight at the hotel or homestay

Day 4 Dushanbe - Panjakent

In the morning depart from Dushanbe and drive to Panjakent (260 km, 5-6 h). Drive through Anzob tunnel. Lunch at local Chaikhana (tearoom). After lunch visiting to mausoleum of the Founder Of Literature of Persian and Tajiki Abuabdulloh Rudaki. Continuing driving to Panjakent. Accommodation in hotel or homestay. Overnight in Panjakent .

Day 5 Panjakent.

After breakfast continuing the tour. Visiting to the most ancient places of Central Asia .

Panjakent: an ancient welcome to Tajikistan

Sightseeing of the city. Panjakent was once the capital of the Sogdian Empire, a Zoroastrian civilization well predating Islam in the region. Though most people travel to Tajikistan for trekking, there are several ancient sites in the area worth visiting on your way to the mountains.

Panjakent Bazaar: This bazaar has a beautiful central building ringed by brick archways. It’s a good place to stock up on trekking snacks like nuts and dried fruits, or get your first taste of Tajik hospitality.

Sarazm: A stone’s throw away from the border crossing are the UNESCO-listed ruins of Sarazm. More than 5,000 years old, they’re remains of the first agricultural society in Central Asia. A remarkably tall human skeleton, dubbed the “Princess of Sarazm”, was found here with some of her ornaments. Archaeologists also found artifacts indicating ancient trading routes stretching as far as modern day Iran and Pakistan.

Old Panjakent: The 1,500+ year old ruins of ancient Panjakent are outside the city, accessible by taxi or hitchhiking. The hilltop site spans several kilometers; roam through it at your leisure. Here archaeologists found remarkably well-preserved frescoes. They’ve since been relocated to the Rudaki Museum in Panjakent, the National Museum in Dushanbe, and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, Russia. You can see copies in the small museum at the Old Panjakent entrance.

Day 6 Panjakent - Khujand

After breakfast In the morning drive to Istaravshan through Shakhristan tunnel. Visit a local bazaar, Hazrat Shah architectural complex, which consists of Hazrat Shah Mausoleum, the grave of brother of Kusam ibn Abbas, Khudayar Valami Mausoleum, and Namazgah Mosque dating back to 19th century. Continue to Mug Teppe, one of the ancient settlements in Istaravshan. The city is believed to be founded by King Cyrus in the North-East boundary of his empire. Continue driving to Khuhand.

Arrival in Khujand. Overnight at the hotel or homestay .

Day 7 Khujand

Breakfast. At 10:00 sightseeing in Khujand: Republican Historical-Ethnographic Museum, Timur-Malik Fortress, Archaeological Museum, Mosque and Madrasah of Shaikh Muslihiddin, Payshanba Bazaar. Lunch at a local restaurant. Overnight in the hotel or homestay .

Day 8 Khujand - Dushanbe

After having breakfast driving to Dushanbe for departure . If there will be free time depending on your flight time , you can enjoy some traditional beers and meals. After carrying you to the airport for departure . The end of the trip.

GOOD TO KNOW: YOU WILL VISIT ALL PLACES WHICH NOTED IN THE ITINERARY BUT DEPENDING ON CELEBRATION OF NAVRUZ HOLIDAY THE ITINERARY MAY CHANGE A LITTLE .

Note: Maximum number of people in a group is 35. As much as your group size increases as more the price would be lower!

THE PRICE INCLUDES:

-All transfers and transport;

-All accommodations

-All meals (B.L.D.)

-1L bottled water per day for each

-Guide service;

-Interpreter services

-VAT Tax and Profit of organization;

-Eco Tax;

THE PRICE DOES NOT INCLUDE:

-Visa, international flight;

-Photo and video charges;

-All personal expenses (extra luggage fee, room service, medical expenses/insurance, etc.)

-Fees for extra service (folklore performance, meetings);

-Tips to the guides, drivers and donkey men;

single accommodation

-Alcoholic beverages